Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:11 pm on 8 October 2019.
Can I thank Dai Rees for his questions? He's absolutely right that people need to know when they are likely to be eligible for the concessionary bus pass under the new regime. I will circulate the table that I have right in front of me that shows every age from 50 to 60 on 1 April 2022 and when people will then become entitled to their concessionary card. I'll do that, if possible, Dirprwy Lywydd, today.
The changes that we are bringing in will mean that the scheme is consistent with eligibility in England, although the actual benefits that you have will be greater in Wales because travel will be unrestricted. I think Dai Rees makes a very, very important point that there's no point in having any form of concessionary scheme if you don't actually have buses that you can use, and the big challenge for the industry, across, indeed, it has to be said, the whole of the UK, has been in a lack of a fare box and that the number of passengers who pay the full fare has been falling, and bus services have not been particularly attractive for would-be passengers, and so people have gone back to their cars, and as a consequence, the number of fare-paying journeys within Wales has decreased. We need to get that number rising again to really ramp up the number of people who are using buses and who are paying for them, albeit, I would wish, at a vastly reduced rate.
In the short term, once we get to that point, the bus services support grant will be absolutely vital in maintaining non-commercially viable services. We've maintained that, the £25 million, for several years now, and from next year, we'll be linking the entitlement of the BSSG to the contribution that local authorities make, recognising that bus services are vitally important for communities, and particularly more rural and isolated communities.